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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. face — to confront
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. face — to point toward
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hand — in cards
  13. firm — steady
  14. tube — the underground
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. net — in sport
  20. scale — size or range
  21. tube — a container
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. scale — in music
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com